To set the stage for the civil rights movement, you must first understand the environment of segregation in the United States in the first half of the 20th century. What was life like in Jim Crow America? Cut and paste this information into a new page in your Unit 8 Online Notebook. You (and your partner, if you have one) are African Americans who have lived through the era of Jim Crow in America. Using the links provided in this activity, respond to the “oral history questions” in first person. You can do this in Word by copying this document onto a new document, completing it using the resources below, and cutting and pasting it into a new page on your notebook. Make sure your responses are in first person!
1) Right after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was ratified. What did the 14th Amendment provide for African Americans? What does “due process” and “equal protection of the laws” mean?14th LINK
The 14th amendment allowed for me and all other African-Americans to be free by abolishing slavery. It prohibited the government from depriving life, liberty, or property, to any US born citizen without "due process", fair treatment through jurisdiction, with "equal protection of the laws", allowing everyone to be entitled a fair trial and be colored-blind during trial too.
2) Unfortunately, your equal rights were challenged by the Supreme Court in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. What do you remember about the facts, decision, and impact of this case?Plessy LINK
If I do recall, Homer Plessy was jailed for sitting a "white" railroad car. He was not entirely black, he was easily could pass for white as well. Louisiana had already passed a Separate Car Act in 1892, but they decided to challenge the law in court. Once he was in court, he profoundly sat in the white section. He was arrested for that as well, and the case went all they way up to the Supreme Court. His attorney pointed out that the Act violated the 13 and 14 amendment. The decision was upheld 7-1 and it was declared constitutional to be separate as long as the were both equal. It set a precedent as the "separate but equal" played a huge role in everyday life such as restaurants, theaters, restrooms, and public schools, until its repudiation in the 1954 Supreme Court Decision, Brown vs. Board of Education. 3) The laws developed in the South became known as Jim Crow laws. Who was this Jim Crow fellow? Did he write the laws?Jim Crow LINK Jim was a character made up Thomas Rice, a struggling actor. Jim Crow was constantly ridiculed and stereotyped by Rice. The Jim Crow phrase began to describe laws and customs which oppressed Blacks instead of racial slurs as it was once known for.
4) What are some specific examples of the Jim Crow laws from southern states? How did the laws affect you? Which one do you feel is the worst?
Most Jim Crow laws prohibited us from engaging with whites. Our children can not go to the same school, while we all cannot play games together or even eat together. Some non-laws such as Jim Crow etiquette required that you called a white person sir, mister, or ma'am, instead of calling them by their first name. We couldn't even kiss together. Although, we could not call them by their first name, while the only thing the every called us was our first name. Even while we were driving they still had the right-of-way no matter what scenario. The most frustrating and demeaning law was my inability to talk freely to white people without worrying about stepping beyond what was allowed by us to said.
6) What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?Scottsboro LINK 2 White Women falsely accused 9 black youths of raping them. They were all on a train when a fight broke lose between the black and white men on the train. The white men were kicked out, while the black youths stayed on. The white men were upset and called the railroad station master and had guards arrest these 9 youths. The nine youths were about to be arrested for assault, when out of no where two white women showed and the guards immediately charged the nine boys with rape. They apparently had already had sexual relations with the white men thrown off and feared prosecution, ended up testifying against the 9 youths. The trial was held with an all white jury, who convicted them, and sentenced all of them (except the youngest, who was 12) to death. I really wish the 14th amendment with the due process and the equal protection of the laws would be more effective and prevent unfair trials.
Jim Crow has been one of the most oppressing and demoralizing things directed against African-Americans. We have lived for so long as farmers, servants, and in-equals. We never get it easy, we continue to be put-down and considered an inferior and subordinate to most living things. These laws against us have effected our everyday life, for example, the everyday restriction of segregated schooling has made our African-American population feel inadequate and inhumane. While, the etiquette laws, require us to call whites, Mister, Sir, and Ma'am, while they barely acknowledge our humanity or physical presence, calling us, "that boy/girl" or "nigger". They continue to disrespect and falsely accuse us. According to the whites, we are the problem, we are lazy, we are subhuman, and responsible for every crime. The 14th amendment stated that we are all entitled to life, liberty, and property. While the Constitution stated that, "all men are created equal, with certain unalienable rights". I do not recollect a time that we have acted so badly that you must restrict us to being shunned, neglected, and disrespected.
1) Right after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was ratified. What did the 14th Amendment provide for African Americans? What does “due process” and “equal protection of the laws” mean? 14th LINK
The 14th amendment allowed for me and all other African-Americans to be free by abolishing slavery. It prohibited the government from depriving life, liberty, or property, to any US born citizen without "due process", fair treatment through jurisdiction, with "equal protection of the laws", allowing everyone to be entitled a fair trial and be colored-blind during trial too.
2) Unfortunately, your equal rights were challenged by the Supreme Court in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. What do you remember about the facts, decision, and impact of this case? Plessy LINK
If I do recall, Homer Plessy was jailed for sitting a "white" railroad car. He was not entirely black, he was easily could pass for white as well. Louisiana had already passed a Separate Car Act in 1892, but they decided to challenge the law in court. Once he was in court, he profoundly sat in the white section. He was arrested for that as well, and the case went all they way up to the Supreme Court. His attorney pointed out that the Act violated the 13 and 14 amendment. The decision was upheld 7-1 and it was declared constitutional to be separate as long as the were both equal. It set a precedent as the "separate but equal" played a huge role in everyday life such as restaurants, theaters, restrooms, and public schools, until its repudiation in the 1954 Supreme Court Decision, Brown vs. Board of Education.
3) The laws developed in the South became known as Jim Crow laws. Who was this Jim Crow fellow? Did he write the laws?Jim Crow LINK
Jim was a character made up Thomas Rice, a struggling actor. Jim Crow was constantly ridiculed and stereotyped by Rice. The Jim Crow phrase began to describe laws and customs which oppressed Blacks instead of racial slurs as it was once known for.
4) What are some specific examples of the Jim Crow laws from southern states? How did the laws affect you? Which one do you feel is the worst?
Jim Crow Laws LINK 1 /Jim Crow Laws LINK 2 / Jim Crow Laws LINK 3 / Jim Crow Laws Link 4
Most Jim Crow laws prohibited us from engaging with whites. Our children can not go to the same school, while we all cannot play games together or even eat together. Some non-laws such as Jim Crow etiquette required that you called a white person sir, mister, or ma'am, instead of calling them by their first name. We couldn't even kiss together. Although, we could not call them by their first name, while the only thing the every called us was our first name. Even while we were driving they still had the right-of-way no matter what scenario. The most frustrating and demeaning law was my inability to talk freely to white people without worrying about stepping beyond what was allowed by us to said.5) What did Jim Crow America look like in the 1900s? What are some images that can help explain the realities of the time?Jim Crow Images LINK 1 / Jim Crow Images LINK 2
6) What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South? Scottsboro LINK
2 White Women falsely accused 9 black youths of raping them. They were all on a train when a fight broke lose between the black and white men on the train. The white men were kicked out, while the black youths stayed on. The white men were upset and called the railroad station master and had guards arrest these 9 youths. The nine youths were about to be arrested for assault, when out of no where two white women showed and the guards immediately charged the nine boys with rape. They apparently had already had sexual relations with the white men thrown off and feared prosecution, ended up testifying against the 9 youths. The trial was held with an all white jury, who convicted them, and sentenced all of them (except the youngest, who was 12) to death. I really wish the 14th amendment with the due process and the equal protection of the laws would be more effective and prevent unfair trials.
7) Why should anyone care about your life during Jim Crow America? Why should I care? Link
Jim Crow has been one of the most oppressing and demoralizing things directed against African-Americans. We have lived for so long as farmers, servants, and in-equals. We never get it easy, we continue to be put-down and considered an inferior and subordinate to most living things. These laws against us have effected our everyday life, for example, the everyday restriction of segregated schooling has made our African-American population feel inadequate and inhumane. While, the etiquette laws, require us to call whites, Mister, Sir, and Ma'am, while they barely acknowledge our humanity or physical presence, calling us, "that boy/girl" or "nigger". They continue to disrespect and falsely accuse us. According to the whites, we are the problem, we are lazy, we are subhuman, and responsible for every crime. The 14th amendment stated that we are all entitled to life, liberty, and property. While the Constitution stated that, "all men are created equal, with certain unalienable rights". I do not recollect a time that we have acted so badly that you must restrict us to being shunned, neglected, and disrespected.